How Much Is 1999 Penny Worth?

Last Updated on August 24, 2022

The Lincoln pennies were minted in 1999, and even though they look pretty artistic, the coins don’t sell for much unless they’re present in mint condition. However, these 1999 pennies are still something they look out for and like to invest in for coin collectors.

In this article, we’ll guide you about the value of the 1999 Lincoln penny in its different conditions. 

Contents

How Much Is 1999 Penny Worth?

To put it simply, if the 1999 penny you found has been in circulation, then it’s only going to be worth its face value which is 0.01 dollars. But, some of these coins are found in other states, too, which increases their value.

There were three series of the 1999 penny minted, one with no mint mark while the other two series had the letters inscribed on them. The Lincoln penny with no mint mark present in an average condition can be worth around 1 cent only. The same penny is worth 0.33 dollars if it’s in an uncirculated condition having an MS-65 grade.

The 1999 Lincoln pennies having the mintmark “D” present on them have the same value as the one with no mint mark. With a grade of MS-65 and present in uncirculated conditions, these coins can be worth only 0.33 dollars.

The third series of these coins were the 1999-S pennies which were only struck as proof coins. The proof coins are ones that were minted specifically for the coin collectors.

That’s why they’re minted in relatively low numbers and have a more detailed design than the business strike ones. These coins in PR-65 condition are worth around 6 to 7.18 dollars

Coin Series Circulated Condition Uncirculated Condition (MS-65) PR-65 condition
1999 Penny 1 cent 0.33 dollars
1999-D Penny 1 cent 0.33 dollars
1999-S Proof Penny 6-7.18 dollars

Mintage

The 1999 Lincoln pennies were minted in three locations, including:

  • Philadelphia; this is where almost 5,237,600,000 pennies were minted. None of them had any mintmark present on them. Due to their abundance, these coins don’t sell for a high price as such.
  • Denver; in this city, a great number of coins were minted as well; it’s estimated that 6,360,065,000 coins were produced with the letter “D” inscribed. 
  • San Francisco; here, only a limited amount of coins was minted. The 3,347,966 coins minted were majorly for the coin collectors. All the pennies came with the mintmark, “S,” denoted on them. 

Specification of The 1999 Lincoln Penny

The Lincoln penny having a face value of 0.01 dollars, was made with the metals zinc and copper. About 99.2% of the coin was made with zinc, while 0.8% copper was used for the rest. The weight of the penny is around 2.5 grams, and the diameter is 19mm.

Design of The 1999 Lincoln Penny

The front side of the coin has the portrait of the well-known American president, Abraham Lincoln. For both sides of the penny, the designing and engraving were done by Frank Gasparro, the 10th chief engraver of the U.S Mint. 

The phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” is also on the top of the coin’s obverse side. Next to Lincoln’s back is inscribed the word “LIBERTY,” while on his front, the year 1999 is engraved. 

On the other hand, the backside of the coin features the Lincoln Memorial, which is in Washington D.C. The initials FG of the designer can be seen on the right, next to the stairs.

You can see “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” on the top. A small, slightly visible figure can be seen in the middle of the memorial, which represents the Lincoln statue. 

What Errors Were Present in The 1999 Lincoln Penny?

When coins are minted, some of them end up having errors on them which actually soars their value by a huge margin. This happened with the 1999 Lincoln penny as well, where instead of a Close AM, a Wide AM penny was made instead. 

This is one of the rarest forms of the 1999 penny, which is why it’s a coin collector’s favorite. You can easily differentiate between an ordinary 1999 coin with this rare one by looking at the two letters A and M of the word “AMERICA,” which is present on the back or reverse side of the coin. 

Normally, the gap between the two letters is much less and almost touching, while in the Wide AM coins, the distance between them can be appreciated, making them rarer than the rest of the pennies. The 1999 Wide AM pennies can be worth up to 558 dollars if present in MS-65 grade, along with being in an uncirculated condition.

Jackie Palmer is a Houston-based coin journalist and fashion enthusiast. She joined Jewels Advisor’s content team after years of experience as a content strategist, managing blogs and social channels for local stores. Jackie mostly collects and studies US coins produced during the 20th century and over the years, published hundreds of articles for multiple coin publications.